Learn about the companions, scholars, and notables | Who am I?

0:01 Pause and reflect upon the Companions, the scholars, and the luminaries.

0:12 A new challenge: who am I?

0:16 I am one of the senior Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

0:22 I am from the Ansar, from the tribe of Banu al-Najjar.

0:26 I witnessed the Second Pledge of al-'Aqabah and all the military expeditions with the Prophet, peace be upon him.

0:33 I was known as the "Master of the Villages."

0:36 I devoted myself to the Holy Qur'an from the moment I embraced Islam.

0:40 I memorized it in my heart during the lifetime of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

0:45 I recited it to him in its entirety.

0:48 And I learned a great deal of knowledge from him.

0:51 The Prophet, peace be upon him, described me as the best reciter of this Ummah.

0:57 He instructed the people to take the Qur'an from me.

1:01 I was the teacher of the delegations during the time of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.

1:07 I was also the first scribe of the revelation.

1:11 The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, once asked me, saying:

1:18 "Do you know which verse in the Book of Allah you possess is the greatest?"

1:23 I replied, "Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of existence."

1:29 He struck my chest with his hand and said, "May knowledge bring you joy, O Abu al-Mundhir."

1:36 One day, while we were in the mosque, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said to me:

1:42 "I wish to teach you a Surah, the like of which has not been revealed in the Torah, nor in the Gospel,

1:49 nor in the Psalms, nor in the Criterion (the Qur'an)."

1:53 I said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah."

1:56 He said, "I truly hope you do not leave through this door until you have learned it."

2:03 Then the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, took my hand and began speaking to me.

2:09 I began to slow my pace, fearing he would reach the door before he finished the hadith.

2:15 When I drew near, I said, "O Messenger of Allah, what is the Surah you promised me?"

2:22 He said, "What do you recite in prayer?" So I recited to him the Mother of the Qur'an (Al-Fatihah).

2:28 He then said, "By Him in whose hand is my soul, nothing like it has been revealed in the Torah, nor in the Gospel,

2:35 nor in the Psalms, nor in the Criterion."

2:39 "It is the seven oft-repeated verses and the Great Qur'an that I have been given."

2:45 The Prophet, peace be upon him, also said to me:

2:49 "Allah has commanded me to recite the Qur'an to you."

2:54 I said, "Oh, has Allah mentioned me by name to you?"

2:58 He said, "Yes."

3:00 I said, "And I was mentioned before the Lord of the Worlds?"

3:04 He said, "Yes."

3:06 My eyes welled up with tears of joy.

3:09 One day I said to the Prophet, peace be upon him:

3:15 "O Messenger of Allah,

3:17 I invoke blessings upon you frequently.

3:20 How much of my supplication should I dedicate to you?"

3:23 He said, "Whatever you wish."

3:25 I said, "A quarter?"

3:27 He said, "Whatever you wish,

3:29 but if you increase it, it is better for you."

3:32 I said, "Half?"

3:35 He said, "Whatever you wish,

3:37 but if you increase it, it is better for you."

3:40 I said, "Two-thirds?"

3:43 He said, "Whatever you wish,

3:45 but if you increase it, it is better for you."

3:48 I said, "I shall dedicate all of my supplications to you."

3:52 He said, "Then your concerns will be taken care of,

3:56 and your sins will be forgiven."

3:58 After the passing of the Prophet, peace be upon him,

4:03 I withdrew from the people.

4:05 I devoted myself to worship and the recitation of the Qur'an.

4:09 But when I saw the people's need for me,

4:13 I left my seclusion and sat with them to teach them the Qur'an.

4:18 I was the first to lead the people in the Tarawih prayer

4:23 during the era of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him.

4:26 I participated in the compilation of the Qur'an during the era of 'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him.

4:31 I used to complete the recitation of the entire Qur'an every eight days.

4:37 A man asked me one day, saying:

4:42 I replied to him, "Take the Book of Allah as your leader,

4:47 and be content with it as a judge and an arbiter.

4:50 For it is what your Messenger left behind for you,

4:54 an intercessor whose word is heeded, and a witness who cannot be accused.

4:58 In it is your history and the history of those before you,

5:02 and the judgment for what is between you,

5:04 and the news of you and the news of what is to come after you."

5:09 I lived my life with the Qur'an,

5:11 as a student and as a teacher.

5:14 The people knew my status among them.

5:18 When death approached me,

5:20 the streets of Medina were crowded with people.

5:24 A man from the desert came,

5:27 and he saw the people of Medina surging through their streets.

5:31 He asked, "What is the matter with these people?"

5:35 It was said to him, "Are you not from this city?"

5:39 He said, "No." Then it was said to him,

5:42 "The master of the Muslims has died today."

5:47 So, who am I?

Learn about the companions, scholars, and notables | Who am I? | Episode No. (255)

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